Villa Capung is refreshingly unpretentious, the kind of place where you walk in, promptly collapse on the sofa and immediately feel right at home (if only home had views like this!). While the villa is not huge, the views of pristine hills and the expanse of Indian Ocean that spread before you create a seemingly endless sense of space, and the villa has been cleverly designed to maximise options for privacy. The master suite is gigantic, while the second bedroom has its own private deck as does the garden suite.

The owners spend quite a bit of time here, and have struck a perfect balance between elegance and comfort: this very popular villa feels well loved and lived in. Enjoying the views from the infinity pool was a definite highlight, especially in the soft late-afternoon light, which deepens the colours of the leafy foliage in the garden. However, Capung really comes into its own in the evening when dark amber lamps cast a seductive glow over the living room, accentuating the crimson furnishings.  Spotlights illuminate the palms and lotus pond, and the lights of Bali twinkle like a fairyland far below. There is a wonderful heady sensation of being so high up, and the villa seems remarkably good value considering these million dollar views.

The staff are efficient and kind, immediately on hand if we needed something, but entirely unobtrusive the rest of the time, and we loved that they can mix cocktails!

What a lovely villa for families with kids! This struck us as soon as we stepped onto Villa Marie’s ironwood sundeck framing the large swimming pool. Small kids will love the huge shallow section conveniently located alongside the living pavilion, and parents will appreciate being able to keep an eye on them from practically every room while blissing out on the ocean vistas and the privacy of two separate master bedroom pavilions on either side of the pool.

We think this would be a great villa for six couples too. In addition to the two master suites, the four equally large bedrooms in the two-storey sleeping block each enjoy privacy as well as a small deck or balcony and fabulous bathroom, and the two twin rooms can also be configured as kings; so no short straw to be drawn here! We did notice that neither of the two dining tables had enough room for 12 guests, but have a feeling the highly efficient management team will be onto that pretty speedily. The fabulous facilities of the adjoining Pandawa Cliff Estate sports centre and spa provides an alternative source of entertainment at your doorstep. Air-conditioned squash, anyone? Doubles tennis? (There’s even an umpire’s chair to keep the competitive spirit in check). And a five-minute drive in your complimentary car will take you to Pandawa Beach where you can swim, snorkel and kayak in the shallow, reef-protected waters.

We felt on top of the world staying at Villa Markisa – the view is sensational and the sheer amount of space a luxury.  The master suite is just magnificent – even the bathtub commands a killer view!  And with its private garden and pool – the villa has three in total – we could cheerfully have holed up here and never enjoyed the rest of the villa.  No wonder this is dubbed the Bridal Suite for those getting hitched here!

The cliff-edge pavilion was another favourite spot; in the early morning we could see as far as Nusa Penida on the horizon, and we had a bird’s eye view of the activities on Pandawa Beach far below.

We’ve never come across a villa that gives guests such privacy and space for all five bedrooms.  The layout perhaps takes some getting used to, as living areas are divided individually.  But that makes it perfect for those who like to holiday together while also enjoying their own personal space (and there’s always the option to open up the living and dining areas in the guest pavilion for a shared experience).  And of course Villa Markisa is an outstanding wedding venue.  With its multiple living spaces and three pools, a crowd could easily get lost here… and then there’s the estate’s sports centre and spa too!

Villa Markisa’s staff is drawn from the team that serves Pandawa Cliff Estate under the direction of hospitality supremo Diego Pons.  Bayu and Cita, our assigned butlers, looked after us well while never being intrusive.  And we became huge fans of Chef Wayan who served us some wonderful meals – make sure you try his tom yum soup and prawn curry!  (Though there are three kitchenettes, the main kitchen isn’t set up for guest use so this isn’t for people who like to pitch in and cook together on vacation.  But with such an accomplished chef, and a varied and reasonably priced menu to choose from, that’s hardly a problem.)

The jaw-dropping ocean views and sheer amount of space make The Pala a party villa par excellence; hands down, it’s going to be am amazing wedding venue. We loved the choice of living spaces spilling out onto terraces and balconies on both levels – all with sublime sea views. And the master bedroom was quite astonishing – with what has to be one of the best views in Bali; ocean, beach, cliffs and the island of Nusa Penida looming on the horizon.

Six couples could holiday together in complete harmony (and sublime comfort) here, as there are lots of different spaces to get together as well as quiet corners to escape from the crowd. And while there might be some initial discussion over who gets the magnificent master bedroom, the five guestrooms are so spacious and comfortable that no one’s going to complain!  (Parents take note – the bursting-at-the-seams-with-toys playroom, media games room, and large shallow pool adjoining the main one make The Pala an excellent venue for multiple-family vacations too).

Pala is the Indonesian word for nutmeg – a spice once so coveted that countries crossed oceans and went to war for it. What an apposite name for a delicious villa that will surely spice up any vacation.

Villa Bulan Putih is a great place to get hitched! The grounds are the perfect size and the ocean backdrop will live on in photos forever. 

And those views! Since the villa faces north east, the ocean doesn’t turn inky black come night-time but instead takes in the twinkling lights and energy of southern Bali in a broad arc. On clear mornings, the mountains that form Bali’s backbone fill the horizon, while the crashing waves of nearby Bingin Beach can be heard 24/7. The views get even better from the first- and second-floor balconies; a quick glance from here in the early mornings will ascertain whether or not the waves are worth getting out of bed for.

Having seven bedrooms provides a lot of space for family and friends, and there’s even up to four extra beds and a TV room that can be converted to a bedroom for any overflow. Kids will love the size of the villa grounds, where they can run around to their hearts’ content. The staff are a real treat and never missed a beat.

Villa Bulan Putih is a great place to get hitched! The grounds are the perfect size and the ocean backdrop will live on in photos forever. 

And those views! Since the villa faces north east, the ocean doesn’t turn inky black come night-time but instead takes in the twinkling lights and energy of southern Bali in a broad arc. On clear mornings, the mountains that form Bali’s backbone fill the horizon, while the crashing waves of nearby Bingin Beach can be heard 24/7. The views get even better from the first- and second-floor balconies; a quick glance from here in the early mornings will ascertain whether or not the waves are worth getting out of bed for.

Having seven bedrooms provides a lot of space for family and friends, and there’s even up to four extra beds and a TV room that can be converted to a bedroom for any overflow. Kids will love the size of the villa grounds, where they can run around to their hearts’ content. The staff are a real treat and never missed a beat.

Villa Capung is refreshingly unpretentious, the kind of place where you walk in, promptly collapse on the sofa and immediately feel right at home (if only home had views like this!). While the villa is not huge, the views of pristine hills and the expanse of Indian Ocean that spread before you create a seemingly endless sense of space, and the villa has been cleverly designed to maximise options for privacy. The master suite is gigantic, while the second bedroom has its own private deck as does the garden suite.

The owners spend quite a bit of time here, and have struck a perfect balance between elegance and comfort: this very popular villa feels well loved and lived in. Enjoying the views from the infinity pool was a definite highlight, especially in the soft late-afternoon light, which deepens the colours of the leafy foliage in the garden. However, Capung really comes into its own in the evening when dark amber lamps cast a seductive glow over the living room, accentuating the crimson furnishings.  Spotlights illuminate the palms and lotus pond, and the lights of Bali twinkle like a fairyland far below. There is a wonderful heady sensation of being so high up, and the villa seems remarkably good value considering these million dollar views.

The staff are efficient and kind, immediately on hand if we needed something, but entirely unobtrusive the rest of the time, and we loved that they can mix cocktails!

It is easy to become a little blasé when it is your job to stay in paradise holiday homes and report back on the findings, but walking into the gardens of Villa Pemutih and seeing that breathtaking view was a rapturous moment, and we knew that the next 24 hours was going to be blissful.

And so it was straight to the pool and the sunloungers on the cliff’s edge with a cold drink, a good book and some sunscreen. A cleverly placed tree provides the shade, while the birds, the cicadas and the ocean provide the music. The sweet Balinese staff bought us cold drinks as the afternoon wore on, and we watched the sunset from the cliff side balé. In the evening, a delicious Balinese feast was cooked for us by the talented kitchen team. We then retired to the super-comfy studio room to blast ourselves senseless with a couple of movies on the villa’s explosive home theatre system.

When the tide is low, do make your way down the cliff to the exposed reef for a bit of beachcombing among the rock pools. The water is calm and none too deep making it a fun, and safe, option for a paddle in the sea. Kids will also love the size of the villa grounds, where they can run around to their hearts’ content, and they’ll enjoy watching the birds in the aviaries. There are numerous species of trees in the garden, including flamboyant, frangipani, coral tree, custard apple, orange flowering saraca trees, acacia, cactus, mango, teak and yellow coconut.

Oh, yeah baby, this is what we’re talking about. The edge is all that and more as far as we are concerned, and we were a very happy couple to be able to experience it: massive, versatile and staffed to the hilt. Guests can remain as horizontal as the horizon – lazing on sunbeds with to-die-for views by day and hunkering down in one of the eight leather lay-z-boy chairs in the home cinema with rolling surround-sound and a stack of your favourite blockbusters by night.

Facilities? We’ll give you facilities. Apart from the home cinema, there’s a cigar smoking area in the wine cellar, a huge dedicated spa, a flat-screen TV in every room and, just quietly, a bowling alley is in the planning. It doesn’t stop there though; the three and five-bedroom villas have two pools each in addition to the communal pool. Kids will be in heaven with their dedicated playroom, which has slides, murals, games, books and not one but two games systems with a TV for each – could this concept of ‘no sharing’ perhaps be the secret to successful parenting?

From the top-notch luxury, state-of-the-art facilities, impeccable service, privacy, and – of course – the view, everything about The Cliff (and indeed The edge) proved to be perfect. The dedicated 24-hour personal butlers have all undergone extensive training at Magnum, one of the foremost butler training schools in the world. Whether it was a drink or a sandwich, an extension cable or an adaptor, the butlers anticipated our every need, yet they were so discreet we hardly noticed they were there. Be sure to make at least one visit to the amazing spa: the floor is covered in three inches of water and the treatment beds seem to float between the sea and the sky behind the billowing white curtains that surround it.